WHEREAS, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, a courageous civil rights activist and an advocate for equality and social justice, participated in more than 50 sit-ins in the 1960s; and

WHEREAS, a native of Arlington, Joan Mulholland graduated from Annandale High School and attended Duke University from 1959 to 1960, where she joined the nascent student movement and began participating in demonstrations for civil rights; in the summer of 1960, she joined the Nonviolent Action Group, an affiliate of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, a passionate supporter of equality for all individuals as a matter of both faith and principle, Joan Mulholland participated in sit-ins in Arlington and Glen Echo in 1960; as a Caucasian woman, she faced ostracism from her community for her actions; and

WHEREAS, in 1961, Joan Mulholland joined a group of Freedom Riders from Washington, D.C., who flew to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then rode a train to Jackson, Mississippi; she was arrested and sent to Parchman Farm Penitentiary, where she served a two-month sentence; and

WHEREAS, after being released from prison, Joan Mulholland enrolled at Tougaloo College, a historically black institution in Mississippi, in an effort to promote racial integration in higher education; and

WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland also participated in the 1963 Woolworth lunch counter sit-in in Jackson, helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and worked on the early stages of Freedom Summer, a campaign in 1964 to encourage African Americans to register to vote; and

WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland later returned to Arlington to raise her family; she worked in the Smithsonian Institution, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Justice, before pursuing a fulfilling 30-year career as an elementary school teacher's assistant; and

WHEREAS, receiving many awards and accolades for her work, Joan Mulholland has earned the Award of Honor from Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and the Heroes Against Hate Award from the Anti-Defamation League; and

WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland's story has been immortalized in award-winning documentaries, such as An Ordinary Hero, directed by her son, Loki, and in books by noted historians, such as Breach of Peace and We Shall Not Be Moved; she has appeared on national television programs and in magazines and newspapers and is a frequent speaker at local universities, charitable events, and meetings; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Joan Trumpauer Mulholland for her contributions to the civil rights movement of the 1960s and her ongoing commitment to equality and justice; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Joan Trumpauer Mulholland as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her courage and leadership.